PRESSING NEED.

Southland Times, Issue 20786, 29 May 1929, Page 6

PRESSING NEED.

MAIL SERVICE

SOUTH ISLAND TO AUSTRALIA

SUBSIDY FROM GOVERNMENT

(Per United Press Association.) Christchurch, May 28. The Prime Minister, Sir Joseph Ward, referred in an interview to-day to the need for an adequate mail service between the South Island and Australia. A narrow view should not be taken of the proposal of the Government to pay a subsidy. He said that a subsidy for such a service was as important to the South Island as the subsidy for passenger, mail and cargo service from Auckland to Australia and Vancouver was to Auckland people. It was, he said, an age of subsidies. As to the service proposed, he hoped that for the first two years ships would sail either way every ten days. “The absence of such a service is keenly felt by various interests,” said Sir Joseph Ward. It seems incongruous to me that a great country like Australia should be shut out from an important country like New Zealand on its southern route of connections and every effort will be made to establish a suitable service. Auckland is well served by the mail services. I took an active part in connection with its establishment on the present basis, and it. would be invidious if Auckland were to raise fastidious objections to the re-creation of a service in the South Island such as existed 40 years ago. In any case, a narrow view should not be taken of the proposal to establish a mail service to the South Island. The country is growing and I know of no other countries where steam services arc confined to one centre.”